My Shijie Seems Intent on Destroying the World – Chapter 29
by Little PandaQuestioning the Heart
Breathing Her Breath, Feeling Her Heartbeat
Liang Family Manor was ablaze with lamplight.
The manor’s orioles and swallows1 gathered around the two “immortals” before them, calling out “Master this, Master that,” all talking at once, each with her own grievance.
An elegantly dressed elderly lady dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief from time to time.
On the table were fine tea, an assortment of colorful pastries, and a platter of fresh, washed and sliced fruit.
At first, Qi Zhi only dared to look, not touching anything, until she saw Ah Yun start eating — and only then did she relax and reach for a piece.
These wealthy households’ pastries were something else. They melted on the tongue without coating the throat, far better than anything bought at the temple fair.
Qi Zhi ate quietly. No one paid her any mind. When her mouth went dry, she sipped some tea and kept eating. Before long, her whole body gave a little shudder and she let out a burp.
The burp was soft, and before she could even feel embarrassed, it was swallowed up by wave after wave of complaints and weeping.
Only Mu Qingshi cast a brief glance her way, carrying a faint trace of a smile.
Qi Zhi looked at the nearly empty plates, patted her belly, and lowered her eyes, a bit sheepish.
Perhaps because she was full, the cacophony of voices finally became tolerable.
Someone worried: “I hired people to search several times, but without a Mingyue Token, ordinary people can’t even see Mingyue Villa.”
Someone complained: “Every cultivator who’s been there says Mingyue Villa has immortals — but how could immortals refuse to let mortals go?”
Someone’s eyes brimmed with anger: “What immortals? I say there’s a fox spirit inside! Singing and feasting every night! Men go in and never want to come out!”
That last shout was loud — like someone chasing a debtor — and Qi Zhi couldn’t help but shrink her neck.
A woman in green nearby said weakly: “But I heard that the young lady of the Lin household went in and never came out either.”
“A fox spirit that eats both men and women — that’s normal, isn’t it?” someone chimed in. “Might even be more than one!”
The elderly lady’s eyes reddened at this. “You are both immortals from the immortal mountains — you must help us!”
Her voice choked as she spoke. How could such a large household lose its pillar?
As her words fell, a few more tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.
Qi Zhi rested her chin on her hand and stared, her gaze somewhat vacant.
So many people were still hale and hearty. Lose one, and the whole household lost its pillar?
This Master of the Liang family sounded quite formidable…
If it were Tiandao Sect, with its elders and disciples numbering in the hundreds at the very least, probably only the loss of the Daoist Venerable would be described as losing a pillar.
For someone so formidable to be taken in, the master of Mingyue Villa — that being of unknown immortal or demonic nature — must be an even more ruthless character.
Mu Qingshi: “Miss Ling, have you gone up the mountain to look?”
Ling Qiansu shook her head, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. “The concealment barrier around that hidden villa is no simple matter. I went there in secret, but saw nothing at all.”
Mu Qingshi: “If even Miss Ling cannot see through it, then we can only obtain Mingyue Tokens to have a chance of investigating.”
Ling Qiansu: “Mm…”
Ah Yun, who had been lying bored on the table for a long while, suddenly lifted her head and asked with a yawn: “So where do these Mingyue Tokens come from, anyway?”
A woman in yellow said: “A rabbit brings them. Seems to be once every three months. Counting the days, that rabbit should be coming down the mountain soon.”
“Not a rabbit — a strange bird. It flies,” someone corrected.
The woman in yellow frowned. “What strange bird? It’s a rabbit. A big-tailed rabbit, with a tail that spreads out like wings!”
The two argued for a bit, and someone else nearby objected: “What rabbit, what strange bird? When it first came, I saw it. It was a rat — a rat with ears longer than a rabbit’s!”
Qi Zhi: “…” She couldn’t follow at all.
Rabbit, strange bird, rat — the descriptions were so wildly different. How could each person claim something entirely different?
Ling Qiansu clearly couldn’t make sense of it either, but she still made a promise to the household — she would obtain Mingyue Tokens by any means and enter the villa to investigate.
With that, she rose to leave.
Seeing this, the elderly lady hurriedly asked her to stay, saying the guest rooms were already prepared, and if the immortals didn’t mind, they were welcome to stay at Liang Manor for the next few days.
Ling Qiansu hesitated, glancing at Mu Qingshi.
Mu Qingshi: “If we stay, would the Lady feel more at ease?”
The elderly lady gave a bitter smile and nodded.
Mu Qingshi: “Then we shall be imposing on the Lady for the next few days.”
“No trouble at all, no trouble at all,” the elderly lady replied, and hastily called servants to lead the way.
Two guest rooms had been prepared, side by side.
Inside, fine charcoal burned, and hot water for washing was set out. There was only one bed — not small, large enough for two.
Though it was already late at night, Ling Qiansu wasn’t particularly sleepy and naturally followed Mu Qingshi into one of the rooms.
The next second, catching Ah Yun’s surprised look, she quickly explained: “Ah, no… I meant to ask, does Miss Mu have any other thoughts on this matter?”
“To obtain Mingyue Tokens, we first need to find that… whatever it is they’re talking about.” Mu Qingshi paused slightly. “Whatever it is.”
“Rabbit, strange bird, rat…” Ling Qiansu shook her head, her eyes full of confusion. “Everyone describes something different. Who knows what it actually is?”
Ah Yun: “Sounds like an ear-rabbit.”
Ling Qiansu: “Ear-rabbit?”
Ah Yun: “Rabbit head, deer body, rat-like in form, with a tail as large as wings that spreads to ride the wind and glide. It’s a rare but relatively gentle-tempered demon beast!”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing!” Qi Zhi couldn’t help but marvel. “Ah Yun, you’re so amazing — you even know this!”
Ah Yun, basking in the praise, leaned against the wall, tilted her head, and bragged: “Of course! Don’t you know what I am!”
Ling Qiansu looked at Ah Yun: “What are you?”
“A little mountain sparrow!” Qi Zhi blurted, raising her eyebrows at Mu Qingshi with a smug little expression as if claiming credit.
—See? When someone almost lets something slip, I can play along too!
“…Right!” Ah Yun pursed her lips, finding a way to save face. “But I’m not just any mountain sparrow — I’ve seen the world with Qingshi!”
Mu Qingshi couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
Ling Qiansu, however, thought it over seriously. “If that demon beast is about to come down the mountain, perhaps we should wait at the foot of the mountain. Once it distributes the tokens, we can buy them from the recipients!”
Ah Yun: “These things must be expensive. So many people are offering fortunes for them. Can’t we just rob someone?”
Ling Qiansu: “But if we rob someone directly, we’d alert the enemy.”
Ah Yun crossed her arms and tilted her head. “Who said anything about robbing the rabbit? It gives the token to someone, and we rob that someone — problem solved!”
Ling Qiansu froze, taking a good while before stammering out: “Th-that… that wouldn’t be right…”
Ah Yun: “Well, do you have money?”
Ling Qiansu: “I… have a little…”
“We don’t. We’re poor. So buying tokens is your job.” Ah Yun said, her gaze sweeping across the three others in the room. “Just get three. No need to count me as a person — I can fly in with you.”
With that, she raised both hands and flapped them gently beside her head.
Ling Qiansu opened her mouth, seemingly calculating the price in her head, and her expression turned troubled.
Mu Qingshi sighed softly and shook her head. “Let’s take it one step at a time.”
Ling Qiansu: “Mm…”
After that, the room fell silent for a moment.
Qi Zhi sat at the table, resting her chin on her hand, gazing at the candle flame. She asked curiously: “If that Master Liang never comes back, will this huge manor and all these people truly just… fall apart?”
Ling Qiansu: “I don’t know much about mortal affairs.”
“You recluses and your little fairy ways.” Ah Yun shook her head and said mildly, “It’s just a man, that’s all. Gone is gone!”
“This manor is huge, and there are so many servants. The family must be wealthy — any single property would be enough for ordinary folk to live comfortably for a lifetime. As long as there’s one person in the household who can shoulder responsibility, why worry about not being able to carry on?”
Ah Yun spoke, then raised an eyebrow with an innocent smile, deliberately lowering her voice: “That main hall was full of wives and concubines just now. How many of them are genuinely worried? I bet some of them are hoping that fellow never comes back.”
Ling Qiansu: “…”
Qi Zhi: “…” That actually made some sense.
Mu Qingshi: “Ah Yun, don’t speculate about other people’s family affairs.”
“Fine!” Ah Yun turned her head away, shooting only a meaningful glance at Qi Zhi, and said nothing more.
After a moment of silence, Mu Qingshi sighed. “It’s getting late. There are only two rooms. Miss Ling, would you mind sharing?”
Ling Qiansu’s eyes lit up. “Of course! If Miss Mu doesn’t mind…”
“That’s perfect!” Ah Yun clapped her hands, and before Ling Qiansu could react, she had already pulled the door open and made a “please” gesture. “Then Miss Ling will just have to squeeze in with me next door!”
Ling Qiansu took a moment to process this, a flash of disappointment crossing her eyes. She gave a slightly awkward smile and nodded. Rising, she followed Ah Yun out to the next room.
The door closed behind Ah Yun, and the room instantly fell quiet.
Perhaps because so much had happened today, Qi Zhi didn’t feel particularly sleepy. Unable to find a topic of conversation, she simply pulled out everything she’d bought at the temple fair from her Qiankun Bag, sorted it neatly on the table, wrapped it in cloth, and tucked it all back in.
Finally, drowsiness began to creep in.
Qi Zhi stood up, washed up, climbed into bed, took off her outer robe, folded it, and placed it at the foot of the bed.
The bed was large, and the quilt was large too. She scooted toward the inner side; there was still plenty of room for another person to lie down.
Mu Qingshi still sat at the table, gazing at the candle flame, lost in thought.
Her slender figure was gently draped in the room’s dim yellow candlelight, ringed by a soft halo — yet so still, so silent, with an air of distance that was hard to describe.
Qi Zhi tilted her head, unconsciously pressing her lips together.
This was someone who treated her so well, yet from time to time made her feel utterly unfamiliar.
The fox demon outside the mountain wanted to eat her.
The Daoist Venerable, to seek a breakthrough, had painstakingly nourished her for five hundred years.
So what did Mu Qingshi want to do?
In Mu Qingshi’s plans, what use did she serve?
Qi Zhi couldn’t find an answer, so she stopped trying. She just hugged the quilt and stared at that back for a long, long time.
When drowsiness finally washed over her, she couldn’t help asking softly: “Shijie, aren’t you sleepy yet?”
Mu Qingshi shook her head and turned to give her a faint smile. “Sleep first.”
“Mm!” Qi Zhi nodded and burrowed into the covers.
She thought about it and decided Mu Qingshi might find it cramped, so she silently scooted a little closer to the wall.
Her arm pressed against the wall, ice-cold.
Qi Zhi padded it slightly with the quilt, then closed her eyes with peace of mind and drifted off to sleep.
In a daze, the candle went out.
She reached out instinctively and felt along her side — still empty.
In truth, Mu Qingshi sat sideways on the edge of the bed. If she had reached just a little farther, she could have easily touched her.
But she hadn’t reached far enough, and that was that.
“Shijie… sleep…” Qi Zhi murmured, like a dream.
“Alright,” Mu Qingshi answered softly.
She gazed at the girl pressed against the wall, as still as a wisp of a ghost.
With nowhere to belong, she had drifted here.
In the night, breathing her breath, feeling her heartbeat.
Ten fingers clutching the fabric of her skirt, suppressing the surges of passion that had risen countless times in her heart — the hardest thing to suppress.
The author has something to say:
Qi Zhi: Shijie, get in bed, sleep.
Mu Qingshi: Love the grass, want the grass — can’t, shouldn’t, don’t dare…
I’ve been so lazy lately, it must be a lack of motivation. Little angels, please comment more, give little grass some nutrient solution, help the author not get stuck, and deliver more big, juicy chapters, okay!
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